The Age of Lawlessness

 What does the Age of Lawlessness look like?

What is Lawlessness?

For a born again Christian this question is easy to answer. If we just look at the above scripture (1 John 3:4) we see that “sin is lawlessness.”

The Greek word for lawlessness here is ‘anomia’ (Strong’s 458) which is pronounced ‘an-om-ee-ah’ and its expanded meaning is: lawlessness, iniquity, disobedience (to God’s Word) and sin which is also disobedience to God’s Word. Anomía ("lawlessness") for all mankind includes the end-impact of law breaking – i.e. its negative influence on a person's soul (man’s status before God).

Lawlessness in man, Biblically speaking, is the showing of complete contempt for God and His law (the Bible) and the rejection of His Son, Jesus, as his Lord and Saviour. Man doing his own ‘thing’ with complete disregard and contempt for all things Godly and other men!

In the book of James, the Lord’s brother gives a strong message to us all, even to us who profess to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour, concerning how careful we should be in the way we conduct ourselves and remain obedient to God’s Word and thus the faith we profess!

James 4:17 (NLT)

Remember, it is sin (lawlessness) to know what you (including me and you) ought to do and then not do it.

The above verse is all about born again Christians being obedient and faithful to all aspects of God's Word! 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us always be quick to repent when we slip, say sorry to the Father. Just because we know Jesus as Lord and Saviour doesn’t mean we can continue to sin (willfully) as if we had never known Christ!

Romans 6:1-2 (AMP)

What shall we say [to all this]? Should we continue in sin and practice sin as a habit so that [God’s gift of] grace may increase and overflow? 2 Certainly not! How can we, the very ones who died to sin, continue to live in it any longer?

Hebrews 6:4-6 (NLT)

4 For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come— 6 and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame.

The Apostle Paul instructs us as born again Christians to have nothing to do with sin but to rather expose it – even more so if it is still in us!

Ephesians 5:11 (NIV)

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

To learn more about what happens when a Christian sins read my blog, 'What happens when born again Christians sin?', published on 4 September 2021. Follow the ling below:

https://rayskilton.blogspot.com/2021/09/what-happens-when-born-again-christians.html

How did Jesus describe this lawless age?

In Matthew 24 (Dear Readers, I encourage you to read and study this chapter for yourselves in conjunction with reading this article) Jesus is talking to His disciples on the Mount of Olives and is telling them in detail what the end times will look like. The age of lawlessness is synonymous with the end times.

Before I examine this chapter with you, let me first quote to you some of the sub-headings for the chapter that are found in different Bible versions just to highlight the topic’s intensity.

The NIV has: “The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times.”

The AMP has: “Signs of Christ’s Return.”

And the NLT has: “Jesus Speaks about the Future.”

From these sub-headings we can see that Matthew 24 is a chapter that speaks about the future degeneration of humankind from the time Jesus spoke these words right through to today and tomorrow’s tomorrow – the future until He returns!

Let’s now read, digest and keep in our hearts what our Lord (in the power of the Holy Spirit) says in this chapter from verses 1 – 14, this is expounded up to His words, “then the end will come” so that we will not be deceived in any way by any human pretensions and dispensations both now and in the future!

Jesus is sitting on the Mount of Olives when His disciples approach Him privately and ask Him what the signs will be for His second coming and of the end of the age? Jesus answers them in some detail which I suspect would have taken the disciples quite by surprise at the seriousness of His response.

This is what he tells them at the time and us today in point form, please do not forget to read and study the chapter for yourselves!

• Verse 4 & 5: Don’t be deceived by those that come claiming to be Him (Jesus).

• Verse 6: We will hear of wars rumours of war – we must not be afraid by this as these things will happen before the end comes – God has ordained it!

• Verse 7: Nation will rise against nation. There will be famines and earthquakes.

• Verse 8: These signs are just the beginning - birth pains as it were!

• Verse 9: Christians will be hated, persecuted, and put to death because of their faith in Jesus. This happened from the time of the Lord’s death on the cross right up until 313 CE when the Edict of Milan put an end to the Roman persecution of Christians. But even up to today Christians are still being persecuted and put to death by the opposers of Christianity in many Islamic and other non-Christian countries and areas!

• Verse 10: Many Christians will turn away from the faith. The great falling away – the Apostasy.

• Verse 11: Many false prophets and teachers will appear.

• Verse 12: Wickedness will increase and the love of many will grow cold.

• Verse 13: If you stand firm to the end, you will be saved.

• Verse 14: Regardless of this the gospel of the kingdom will still be preached to the world – then the end will come!

Now from verses 15 through to the end of the chapter, which is verse 51, Jesus continues his discourse of what the age of lawlessness or the end times will look like with phrases like these:

• ‘the abomination that causes desolation’

• ‘How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!’

• ‘For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.’

•  ‘If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.’ Time is passing quickly!

• ‘For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.’

• ‘For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ‘

• ‘‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky,

• and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

• ‘the Son of Man will come on the clouds.’

• ‘angels will gather His elect.’

• ‘the day and the hour is unknown.’ Only the Father knows.’

• ‘it will be as in the days of Noah.’

• ‘we must be ready now because His coming will be unexpected.’

• ‘there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

So, in Matthew 24, our Lord paints us a very vivid and unmistakable picture of what the age of lawlessness will look like. He shows us clearly how wicked men will behave and how the whole world and even the sun, moon and stars, will be seriously affected!

I don’t know about you, dear Reader, but when I look at this picture and I look at what is happening in the world today, it’s almost like a mirror image.

I would urge you to be ready for Jesus now, for he will come like a thief in the night and without warning! Keep your lamp burning and your oil full! Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV)

12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

To learn more about working out your salvation please read my blog published on 7 November 2022. Just click on this link:

https://rayskilton.blogspot.com/2022/11/work-out-your-salvation-with-fear-and.html

The Great Falling Away – The Apostasy

During this time, the age of lawlessness, the Lord tells us in the below three verses, that many people professing to be Christians will turn their backs on the faith and wickedness will increase and the love of most will grow cold but those of us that stand firm to the end will be saved! Work out your salvation with fear and trembling!

Matthew 24:10-13 (NIV)

10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

The Apostle Paul tells us a similar thing in the verse below, only this time it has been confirmed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit tells us that the teachings man will follow during these times are the teachings of demons and evil spirits!

Beware, my precious brothers and sisters in Christ, do not be deceived!

1 Timothy 4:1 (NIV)

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

The Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3 confirms what the Lord tells us about the age of lawlessness and the manner in which people will behave and the devilish characteristics they will display in the below verses:

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (AMP)

But understand this, that in the last days dangerous times [of great stress and trouble] will come [difficult days that will be hard to bear]. 2 For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane, 3 [and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good, 4 traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of [sensual] pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith]. Avoid such people and keep far away from them.

In verse five above, Paul is very clear in his instruction to us as born again Christians about associating with lawless people, “Avoid such people and keep far away from them.”

What does light have to do with darkness?

2 Corinthians 6:14-15 (NIV)

14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

The name Belial comes from the Hebrew word bel'yya'al which means "destruction," and literally "worthless." Bel'yya'al is formed from two Hebrew words b'li "without" + ya'al "use", without any usefulness, wickedness or vile. The Old Testament uses it to describe wickedness as an evil force (Deuteronomy 13:13); later in the New Testament Belial is treated as being a proper name of Satan (2 Corinthians 6:15). There is no harmony between Christ and Satan, Christ and wicked men, Christ and evildoers!

Deuteronomy 13:13 (KJV)

Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known;

The Man of Lawlessness

The Apostle Paul also tells us in his second letter to the Thessalonians in the two verses below that the apostasy or the great falling away and the revealing of the man of lawlessness (the Antichrist, the son of destruction) will come first and only then will the Lord return! He also gives us a very clear picture of what the Antichrist will do and how he will influence both believers and unbelievers into more and more wickedness! The verses below from the Amplified Bible say it all!

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (AMP)

3 Let no one in any way deceive or entrap you, for that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first [that is, the great rebellion, the abandonment of the faith by professed Christians], and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction [the Antichrist, the one who is destined to be destroyed], 4 who opposes and exalts himself [so proudly and so insolently] above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he [actually enters and] takes his seat in the temple of God, publicly proclaiming that he himself is God.

So, my dear Readers, my question right at the beginning of this article was, “What Does the Age of Lawlessness Look Like?” 

Well, I’m of the opinion that it looks very much like today – the age we are living in right now! And the days are definitely getting increasingly darker and man more and more depraved and lawless!

What do you think?

Are you ready for Jesus?

Are you living in a manner worthy of the gospel?

Philippians 1:27a (NLT)

Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.

Are you working out your salvation with fear and trembling.

Are you quick to repent when you slip, or do you carry on willfully sinning?


Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father
In the name of Jesus, I pray that you would fill me with your Holy Spirit and help me to live my life steadfastly in accordance with your will and your Word so that I can live in a manner worthy of my salvation in Christ Jesus. Help me Lord to willfully sin less and less and be quick to repent. Amen.

To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!

Jesus the Name above all names!

Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself! I am flawed the Bible is not!